Amazon’s next-generation Prime Air delivery drone can fly further and through ‘light’ rain
by Umar Shakir from The Verge - All Posts on (#65PR9)
A rendered version of the MK30 drone. | Image: Amazon
Amazon is building a better drone that should help chart a course for the company's Prime Air delivery service after the project was reportedly hampered by multiple malfunctions, crashes, and even fires. The new MK30 drone will go into service in 2024 and is designed to be quieter, go further, and handle the elements better, like high temperatures and light rain.
The new drone has the same function and goal as its predecessor designs: fly vertically hundreds of feet into the air, autonomously maneuver and land, and deliver packages up to five pounds. The MK30 will be lighter and smaller than the current hexagonal MK27-2 drone, and it will be put through rigorous evaluation by national aerospace authorities like the Federal Aviation...